Site Admin

Subscribe for My Newsletter

How to Publish a Novel in the Correct Book Format!

Learn how to publish a novel to get your book into print without the hassle of going through a book publisher. It's really not as difficult as you may think, especially if you have any sort of creative bone in your body. And let me tell you, you do!

If you are a motivated writer looking to publish your own fiction novel, you can easily perform all of the necessary steps using a standard word processor.

How to Publish a Novel in 8 Easy Steps

1. Choose a format that works for your book. A standard book format is how all of your pages are arranged to give your book the look and feel of a professionally published work. It takes a little time to arrange your book in the proper format, but these steps will help you prepare your book for self-publishing.

Choosing the best format is easy. Simply look at some of your favorite novels and see how they are arranged. Look at how the pages are numbered, how chapters are started, and other fillers such as a forward, dedication, or epilog.

2. Create the Book Cover. Your book's cover should provide your readers with a professional feel when they first see your book. It should be properly centered on the page and be very high quality. Do not compress your picture down to nothing. You want it to look crisp with no blurs or dithering.

I recommend using 300 dpi when saving your book cover and other pictures throughout your book. When learning how to publish a novel, this is a key feature that needs to look attractive since it is usually the first thing a potential customer sees when they see you book.

3. Create a Cover Page or Title Page. How to publish a novel continues with the page immediately following your cover which should be blank in a book. If you do not add this page in an eBook, it can mess up your numbering and add extra blank pages in your book.

This was a hard lesson to learn that took some time to figure out where the extra page was coming from in my Microsoft Word document. It actually didn't show the page, it just skipped from page one to page three. This extra page is not necessary in a hard copy book because the back of the cover is this page.

The next page is a title or cover page which is basically a mirror of your book cover minus any artwork. This is the first actual piece of paper after the book cover that everyone sees when they open your eBook or as they are opening your novel in a bookstore.

The title page is formatted just as a manuscript would be, containing your story's title in a large font just above the center of the page followed three lines by your name, otherwise known as your by-line. They should be above and below the center of the page centered on the page.

4. Add a Copyright and Publishing Information Page. How to publish a novel continues with the Copyright and Publishing Information Page directly following the title page. This is one of the most important excerpts within your book. It tells the world who owns all of the rights to your book - (YOU). This is your books insurance policy against theft.

This page should be aligned to the left in 12 pt Times New Roman font. It should have the title of your book at the top. It contains your ISBN number directly beneath the title, your copyright, who published your book, what edition it is, when it was published, and other general information such as character and location disclaimers or how people can contact you to use excerpts from your story. This is a great place to advertise affiliate programs or other services, another great benefit to learn from how to publish a novel in eBook format.

You can get examples of this page in your favorite novels just like you have done to see how your book should be formatted.

5. Enter a Book Reviews Page. This page is optional and will follow your copyright and publishing information page. Though it's optional, it's highly recommended. It's a great page to add since it gives your book credibility. You can add good reviews and other books you have published on this page to add more beef for your book. People love to hear what others are saying about your book before they actually buy it.

6. Create a Dedication Page. The dedication page is optional and is a place where you can give someone who inspired you due credit. This can be friends, family, or people who helped you write and publish your novel. Center the credit on the page in 12 pt Times New Roman.

7. Create The Foreword or Prolog for your fiction novel. The foreword or prolog is a brief but optional introduction or lead in to your story or a little story about you. This is the beginning of your book if used and should be the starting point or set the stage when considering how to publish a novel.

The following is an example of the standard format you should use for your book when self-publishing your fiction:

a. Choose a font that best suits the size of your book. If it is a mass produced book, you want a smaller font. If it is a larger book, you want a larger font. Just remember to make it large enough to read comfortably.

b. If the content of your book after the dedication page is an even page, your last name should be on the top of your page (just below the margin or in a header frame) aligned to the left. If your first content page is an odd page, your book title will be on that page and aligned to the right.

c. On the opposite page, you will put your name or book title (opposite of the previous page) aligned to the opposite side.

When considering how to publish a novel, before you begin with the content of your story on a page, separate your name or title and content with two spaces. Your content will start on the forth line of your page below the margin. Subsequently, the last line of your content should end with at least one space between it and the page number.

d. How to publish a novel continues with page numbering. You begin numbering your pages after the dedication page. Do not count your cover page, blank page, or title page when considering your page numbers. The pages of your book start with the page after your copyright and publishing information page.

Note: Your page numbering starts with the page after the copyright page, but do not put page numbers on that page. Start page numbering on the next page.

Number your pages by centering the number at the bottom line of your page just above the bottom margin. Remember to leave a space between the last line of content and your page number.

e. Single space between all lines of you content. Indent each new paragraph with five spaces vice using the tab key. If you have a scene break, separate your two blocks of content with a space, your separator, and another space.

f. This continues until you reach the end of your book. Maintain the same style throughout your book for the most professional look and feel for your fiction novel.

8. The Chapters of Your Book. Another useful tip on how to publish a novel is how you start each chapter of your book. Each chapter of your book starts a new scene. Allow 4 to 9 spaces between your name or book title at the top of your page and the chapter name or number. The chapter title or number should begin on line 5 or 10 respectively. Use whatever looks best for your book.

In considering how to publish a novel, formatting your book is one of the most important aspects to utilize. This is your look and feel throughout your book. Make it look and feel good for your readers!